Levels of Reality
by Katiyana
Summary: Do you really think that you can only get away with deceiving people in the dream world? Reality can be manipulated just as much.
1. Chapter 1

Levels of Reality

Disclaimer : All recognizable characters belong to those who have made the movie Inception.

Summary : Do you really think that you can only get away with deceiving people in the dream

world? Reality can be manipulated just as much.

Chapter 1

Everyone looked up and tensed as the door to the warehouse slid open. It was in the middle of the day and they were all concentrating on their current project. The whole team were already there and there was no one missing. As usual they were operating out of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of a big and busy city.

Within the space of a few seconds Arthur appeared silently next to Ariadne at her workstation and gently but firmly pushed her down with an arm around her, crouching down next to her and she realized that he held a gun in his other hand. Eames had vanished out of sight but there was the whisper of a gun being cocked.

A woman stepped confidently into the warehouse. She was dressed immaculately in a peach coloured suit and elegant four inch heels. In her right hand, she clutched an expensive leather briefcase. Ariadne felt the slight hitch in Arthur's breathing only because he was so close to her. She was feeling the adrenaline course through her veins from the suspense and terror at the sudden intrusion. However she was not beyond enjoying the feel of being pressed up hard against the lean body of the smart point man.

And then it was all over. Arthur rapidly straightened himself and briskly put the gun away. Ariadne stared in fascination at the new arrival. Somewhere in the back of her mind a small fact registered that she had yet to hear any reaction from their other colleague. Eames was always loud and playful but Ariadne had learned that he was no slouch when the situation called for action. She suspected that both Arthur and Eames had some sort of military background. It was a little strange that they did not see or hear anything from him right now.

The woman was beautiful but when Ariadne instantly recognized her, she felt chilled to the core and her heart raced. Arthur stepped towards the new arrival confidently and the woman had quickly locked her gaze on his. Then as the chill subsided, it left cold, wispy, tendrils of dread clutching at her heart. Almost immediately after that, she was awash in a new emotion. The green-eyed monster of jealousy invaded her being, for Arthur had nearly reached the woman and he seemed to have eyes only for her.

In that few short minutes, maybe only a few long seconds, the emotions coursing through Ariadne were overwhelming her entire being. She could not help but ride the roller coaster of her emotions from the time when she had been having a normal day doing what she loved most to being exhilarated but secure in Arthur's arms to a crashing feeling of dismay as she watched him greet the gorgeous woman who had entered with a familiarity borne of a long association. Ariadne was surprised but powerless to stop herself hating the woman in the instant that Arthur took her hand.

Her mind was whirling with questions even as she assimilated more information. The woman was not Mal, as she initially thought. She was of a similar build and colouring to Mal, but her hair was longer, straighter and a few shades darker. She was voluptuous but slightly slimmer, Mal's more generous curves could have been gained after giving birth to two children.

Who was this woman? And how did Arthur know her? Ariadne was appalled when the whisper of a thought emerged that she wished that Arthur had used his gun first and asked questions later. Why was she having such a strong reaction to a woman who she had never met before? Deep in her mind, she knew that her reactions were mainly because of Arthur.

Arthur, who was even now gently guiding the woman to a seat with a hand on her elbow. He clearly knew this woman well. Ariadne did not miss the soft smile that he bestowed upon her, nor her answering smile at him. What was infinitely worse for Ariadne was watching the kiss he had given her on the cheek after that smile. She could not hear anything they said for they were talking in low tones. But she could sense the comfort and familiarity in their conversation. They were pleased to be in each others' company.

Ariadne felt herself dying as she noted that fact that they looked perfect together. She herself was dressed in casually in student attire in jeans, a top and her scarf. She knew that she was only petite and waif-like in form. She could never compete with this mysterious woman's looks. The woman was dressed neatly in a suit but that did not detract at all from the fact that she was the epitome of feminine. The elegant lines of her simple, classically tailored suit only served to highlight that it encased a gracefully built body beneath. She perfectly complemented Arthur's style.

Ariadne was still absorbing all of this information by her desk when she caught a glimpse of movement at the corner of her eyes. Eames had emerged. The two people engrossed in conversation in front of her had not seemed to notice him yet. Ariadne swung her eyes to him in an effort to shield her battered heart.

Unfortunately what she saw, did not serve to comfort her in the least. Eames had a haunted look upon his face as he stared at the new arrival. He looked like he could not believe the evidence of his eyes and there was a shadow across his face even as Ariadne registered the hunger in his gaze. Ariadne was taken aback at the intensity of the emotions flitting across the man's face, most of them dark but with a glimmer of hope and a myriad of other indefinable emotions.

Unable to cope with all of it, Ariadne blinked and Eames seemed to have transformed back to his normal self in that instant. She saw the carefully constructed facade of a cavalier, daredevil, playboy settle itself back onto his features like a cloak. He held himself confidently and advanced with his usual swagger.

He heralded his approach with a loud "Hello, darling, and what brings you to our neck of the woods?"

The woman lifted smoky brown eyes towards him and with a cool smile, said "Hello Eames."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Also, as I am fully aware of how much Saito's company paid for their job to be done," she paused significantly, gave a cursory glance towards Arthur whose expression did not change and then settled her gaze on Eames.

"I will only pay Yusuf, should we decide that we need him and your architect for their services," she finished, still locked in her unflinching stare with Eames.

Eames was the one to break eye contact. He flinched as he looked away. He said nothing.

Ariadne grasped her totem and placed it on the nearest surface, flicking it. It fell over. This was real. This wasn't a dream. It was a lot to take in. Actually it was a hell of a lot to take in. She still had so many questions. Nothing was clearing up, from the moment the woman in the peach suit had entered, chaos had reigned and Ariadne was starting to feel her sanity edge ever so slightly away from her thoughts.

The woman, Cas, looked at her with eyes that were not unkind. However, Ariadne had just been overloaded with onslaughts of emotions, uncertainties and explanations that still didn't make sense. She was beyond being able to decipher the kindness or concern gazing out of eyes that she was unfamiliar with in the first place.

It was too much. Had she been less wound up, she may have been elated at the depth of concern radiating from Arthur's eyes towards her. But she could feel something exploding within, something violent, hurt and scared. That something spurred her instincts to protect herself. She couldn't lash out at Cas; she didn't know her at all. Eames, she did know but instinctively did not necessarily always trust. Now Arthur, Arthur was her constant. He was always there when she woke up, even from that very first time that she had gone into a shared dream and Mal had killed her. Arthur was safety, Arthur was secure.

"So it was all a lie? We went through all of that and now you're telling us that the main reason we did the job in the first place was a lie? We have no idea what we've done to Fisher! We've completely manipulated another human being! Who has never in any way, had anything to do with any of us! All for a lie?," blurted out the architect, her voice rising with each sentence.

"Ariadne," the calm, velvet tone of Arthur's voice washed over her. But she was still distraught.

"Why should we believe her?" she demanded of the man beside her, grabbing a hold of his vest desperately.

He put his hands over hers and stared into her lovely doe eyes that were starting to well up with tears. He could see the panic rising up within her. He knew that all the doubts and guilt about doing what they had done were washing over her. They had manipulated one man's mind. Two other lives hung in the balance directly as a result of the inception. They could not have done it without her. In fact, without her, more lives would now be in the balance. The majority of the first class passengers on that fateful flight would not have woken up.

"Ariadne," he said again, still gently but with a firmer undertone.

"Oh bloody hell, why can't you just tell her that Cas is Mal's sister? What are you waiting for, man?" came an irritated British tone.

"She's what?" snapped Ariadne, swivelling around to face Eames.

"It's true, I'm sorry that I neglected to mention that fact, Ariadne," said Cas, in what Ariadne perceived to be a condescending tone of voice.

Ariadne could definitely see it now; it was no wonder that she had thought Mal was the one who had stepped through that door. Behind her Arthur had not moved. She could feel his even breathing so close, just right behind her. It did nothing to calm her nerves this time and yet she stepped back ever so slightly. She wasn't sure why she did that but Arthur held his ground. She was now pressed up lightly against him. Her heart was still beating fast and its rate escalated again. She was sure the tingling sensation she felt was due to his proximity.

Cas looked at both of them intently. She closed her eyes briefly and let out a rueful sigh.

"I'm sorry Ariadne; I should have explained myself better. Arthur and Eames know me but you don't. I hear that you're a very talented architect. Please, I'm going to need your help to save Dom and Mal," said Cas softly.

Ariadne could not miss the sincerity of her words. But she still didn't understand so many things.

"We've all known each other for a long time. I used to work for Dom's team too. In fact, I met him before Mal. I was the one who brought her into his team," continued Cas with a sad smile.

"So you can say that ultimately, I'm the one who started all of this," stated Cas.

The tension in Ariadne's body had begun to seep away as she listened to Cas' explanation. Unconsciously she began to lean ever further back into the solid pillar that was Arthur at her back. He did not move a muscle, he just stood there unyielding.

The rumble of his voice startled her into an upright stance again. "They made their own choices, Cas," said Arthur.

There was a brief silence.

"Yes, but we're older and wiser now. There was so much that we didn't know about back then. If they had known what we know now, maybe Phillippa and James would still be with their parents today. And maybe there are other things that wouldn't have turned out this way at all," argued Cas, her eyes had flickered over towards Eames for a brief second. Eames caught her fleeting glance but stayed silent.

"It's not your fault," said Ariadne in a small voice. Her sense of justice and compassion could not help but assert itself, no matter what animosity she might feel towards this woman with regards to her relationship with Arthur.

There was another sigh.

"Not entirely, I suppose. But you must understand that I need to fix this. I certainly can't do it by myself; I need your help to get Dom out of limbo. But that's not the most difficult part," Cas paused.

"The most difficult part will be to find a way to get Mal physically, get her out of limbo and then extract the idea that Dom placed. Then maybe, Phillippa and James will have a family again," said Cas with a desperate note of hope in her voice.

"Are you sure that it's her, darling? Because if it's not, you'll never get your happily-ever-after no matter what we can do," broke in Eames.

Cas shot him a cold look, "Don't worry Eames, I've stopped believing in happily-ever-afters a long time ago."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Ariadne, wait, please," said Arthur, when he caught sight of her slipping out the door.

Ariadne ignored his plea and walked faster. It was late, darkness had fallen hours ago. They were the only two left working late tonight. They were still working on their current mission and also planning for their next. There was a lot of work for her to do as both the men already knew Dom and Mal well. They did not need to prepare themselves as much.

The wind howled around them and the air was damp with the feel of an impending storm brewing. She clutched her coat and hurried along the street but her efforts were futile. She refused to acknowledge the point man, who was still trying to engage her attention. He caught up with her easily and kept up with her as she walked briskly towards the flat that she shared with Eames in the middle of Edinburgh.

Eames had offered her the use of the guest room of a flat which he said belonged to a distant relative. The well furnished and surprisingly luxurious flat suited her needs perfectly. She hardly ever saw Eames at all. He was usually in for a change of clothes then off again and she doubted that he had ever spent the night in the flat during the two weeks they had been here.

Arthur fell silent after she resisted his attempts at any sort of communication between them but he did not leave her side. Ariadne hated the fact that she was intensely aware of him and her heart fluttered uncontrollably and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach from being near him. He followed her through the street door on the ground floor determinedly and to make him leave she would have to acknowledge his presence which she perversely simply did not want to do despite being desperately aware of his every breath.

He followed very close behind her as she climbed up the stairs to enter the flat. He held the door open as soon as she had unlocked the door and there was no way that she could have kept him out. Ariadne was working herself up into becoming a trembling wreck. Arthur on the other hand, looked as calm and composed as he always did.

Ariadne headed towards her room, somehow certain that he would not follow her in there without her permission and thus she would be rid of him. Arthur instantly realized her intent and called out to her, taking her hand, "Ariadne, please, we need to talk."

Her skin burned from his touch and she tried to remove her hand but he held fast. She looked at their joined hands, still stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes. She could feel her own eyes starting to water.

"Let me go," she said quietly.

"Not until you talk to me," insisted Arthur.

"What would you like to talk about with me? You should go and talk to Cas, surely you've not run out of things to talk about after just four nights," she spat out with venom in her voice.

Ariadne suddenly looked up at him with flashing eyes.

"What makes tonight different? She's at your hotel, that's where you should be too. There's a bad storm coming. We, you and I, have nothing to talk about. I'll see you in the morning," she says icily, moving to take her hand away and intending to show him to the door.

Ariadne does not want him to see her tears. She knows that he is not for her for Arthur and Cas are undeniably made for each other. They seem to communicate very easily with each other and Ariadne has watched as they have worked together seamlessly while planning within a dreamscape. She now knows that Cas is a forger but as she holds most of the information and the key details for the missions, it has been decided that Cas will be the point person with Arthur assisting her.

She knows that Cas is staying in the same hotel as Arthur and they have been leaving and arriving together in Arthur's car every day. She has noticed the small gestures between them, the intimate looks, and the familiarity as they work closely together. Ariadne has seriously considered quitting, unsure if she will be able to handle watching them together every single day.

But then she thinks of the children, Philippa and James. It is mainly the thought of the children that weakens any of her resolve to walk away from all of this. What happened to Dom and Mal was tragic but they were responsible for their own choices. However, Phillppa and James need their parents and none of it was their fault. They were so young and should not have to bear the consequences of their parents' actions in this way. Ariadne could not find it in her heart to just abandon her task in the effort to restore their parents to them.

"We've found a way to retrieve Mal now. That was the main problem we had to overcome, everyone will need to be involved in the planning for the rest of the mission together. But we're taking a break from the mission tonight. She's seeing Eames," said Arthur steadily.

"Eames?" echoed Ariadne in surprise as she stopped struggling to remove her hand.

"Yes, Eames. They have some," Arthur paused and looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Things that they need to settle between them before we all work on the dreamscapes together to avoid any unwanted complications," stated Arthur.

"Complications?" questioned Ariadne, gazing at Arthur with wide eyes.

Arthur sighed and took her other hand, guiding her to the comfortable sofa in the living room. He sat them both down and kept one of her hands in his grasp.

"Yes, after you told us about what really happened to Dom and Mal, we agreed that we all needed to deal with our emotions in the real world before we even attempt to retrieve Dom from limbo and Mal from wherever she is. We do not want our subconscious throwing up any nasty surprises on the way. No one has ever attempted to rescue someone else from limbo and no one has ever attempted to enter the subconscious mind of a badly injured person in the hopes of restoring them. I'm not sure that's even possible," said Arthur, staring at her intently.

"Cas thinks it is," said Ariadne softly.

"Cas hopes that it is but she doesn't know anything for sure. All her work as an anaesthetist with an interest in patients with near death experiences has helped her to form a theory. She desperately wants Mal to come back, they've always been close. I don't think she cares as much for Dom but she knows that the only person, who may be able to reach Mal if at all possible with all that brain damage, is Dom. So he needs to be rescued because if anyone can retrieve Mal's mind, it's him," said Arthur.

"How badly is she hurt?" asked Ariadne.

There is a shadow of guilt in his eyes as he answers, "I don't know how badly. Neither does Cas. She knows that Mal is in a highly specialized facility and still needs a lot of care. They can fix everything else but we still don't know enough about the human mind."

Ariadne sees the wave of guilt washing over him like a tide and lifts her other hand to his cheek to comfort him.

"It's not your fault," she whispers compassionately.

"I should have checked that it was her before we buried her. I should have researched Saito's company more thoroughly before doing the Fisher job," said Arthur, pain lancing through his voice.

"You couldn't have known what had really happened. You couldn't have guessed what lengths Saito's company would go to protect their interests. Why would you even think Mal had survived that fall? How could you know that they had been trying to find a way to achieve their goal and had been keeping track of Dom for so long before even coming forward with the plan for the inception? There was nothing you could do. It wasn't your fault, Arthur," says Ariadne, tears starting to stream down her face in sympathy.

Arthur opens his eyes at the sound of the tears in her voice. They are still on the sofa together. Her lovely eyes are filled with sorrow and her tears are tracking down her cheeks silently. He lifts both his hands to her face and tries with infinitely soft caresses, to brush her tear drops away. The tears she cries are for his pain. No one has ever cried for him before. No one has ever cared as much before. His heart aches with an unfamiliar emotion as he looks into those tender, loving eyes.

"So beautiful," he murmurs and draws her face carefully towards his, leaning in to kiss her with a feather soft touch of the lips. Just the lightest press of the lips, over and over, never settling for any longer than just a fleeting taste.

Ariadne has no idea how she ended up in this paradise with Arthur's lips caressing hers again and again. A snatch of common sense whispers that she should grasp her totem and check that this is real. But it is too late as her hands are both engaged now. The one on Arthur's cheek slides to the back of his head to draw him closer. Her other hand drifts to his upper back to turn his body more fully to hers.

After enduring those agonizing few minutes of chaste soft, butterfly kisses, their need for each other suddenly erupts like a flame. Even as she draws him closer, his body presses into hers urgently, bringing them both down into the cushions together. She responds eagerly, desperately, wanting ever more. Arthur has lost all control; the only thing that is real is her. Her touch, the feel of her smooth cool skin, her taste, her scent, her moans encasing him, enveloping him. Nothing else matters in this moment. There is only the two of them, together.

Outside, the storm breaks.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Cas," her name was a whisper of awe on his lips.

She decides that he has had enough time to appreciate the effort that she put into her appearance tonight. She has studied the look on his face. She can read the look of wonder and desire in his eyes.

"You look well, Eames," she allows graciously.

"You look absolutely stunning. Magnificent," he says, taking her hand and bowing down to bestow a kiss upon it.

Her lips curled in a slight smirk. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" said Cas, ruthlessly suppressing the shiver that threatens to emerge when his lips press against the back of her hand.

There is a flicker of something in his eyes. His easy, charming smile dances across his face but his eyes are hooded. His true emotions are not clearly visible.

Cas sighs at the sight. He keeps hold of her hand and tucks it into the crook of his arm to guide her towards the elevator. She is soft and warm and just a hint of her perfume assails his nostrils. He cannot help but be aware of her curvaceous form next to him. It is all he can do to resist the temptation to haul her into his arms and carry her back into her room instead of going down to the restaurant for dinner.

"Eames, we need to stop playing these games tonight," she says softly, close to his ear as they stand alone inside the elevator.

"Is that the point you're trying to put across with that dress, darling?" asks Eames drily, casting a sidelong glance at her.

She gives a small but genuine laugh and her fingers tighten briefly on his arm.

"Cas, are you sure having dinner in the restaurant downstairs is a good idea?" says Eames in a strained tone of voice.

"Eames, we really do need to talk things through tonight. And if we have room service upstairs, you know as well as I do that we may not have that conversation at all," says Cas patiently.

"We'd be having a completely different sort of conversation, darling," drawls Eames directly into her ear, as they walked towards the restaurant.

When they were seated, Eames ordered drinks for both of them with an eye on Cas but she does not offer any objections.

"You remember," she murmurs softly, almost to herself with a small smile.

Eames reaches over to clasp her hand, "Cas, when it comes to you, I could never forget a single thing," he says seriously.

"Could that be a problem at all when we try to do this?" she asks quietly.

"I'm not sure that it could matter unless I'm the dreamer," he replies.

"The dreamers will be Dom and Mal," she pauses to take a sip of her drink.

"But he's in limbo and she's in a coma. That makes a huge difference. We don't even really know if it can really be done." She was voicing the obvious, things that they had gone over numerous times already.

"Cassandra, Cas, Cassie, Cassie, hush," he says and places a finger on her lips when she continues to ramble uncertainly.

"No one else calls me that," says Cas against his finger.

There is a break in the conversation as their food arrives. They eat in silence. Cas barely touches the food on her plate.

"Cas, you need to eat something," says Eames watching her push the food around on her plate.

"I'm not hungry," is her only response.

"Cas," his voices is tinged with exasperation.

She looks up at him with a lost expression which pierces his heart.

"What happened with us, Eames?" she asks softly.

Eames shuts his eyes briefly.

"I don't know, Cassie. I'm not entirely sure myself. It just got too much, too fast. What happened to Dom and Mal, it scared the hell out of me, sweetheart," said Eames.

"So you went and slept with the next blonde you could find?" asks Cas sharply.

"There is nothing that I can ever say to excuse my actions, Cas. You have no idea how sorry I am for what I did," says Eames slowly.

For moment Cas turns away as bitter memories regain her attention. She is not sure that she can handle all of this tonight. Maybe she should have been more cautious in approaching the subject of their past. They need to resolve this mess that was their broken relationship or they could not move on. She had to get Dom and Mal back to reality. She just had to for Phillppa and James.

"We need to put it all behind us and move on," she says softly.

"Cas," he starts to say.

"I forgive you," are her next words.

Eames stares at his dinner companion.

"I accept your apology and I forgive you for what you've done, Eames. Let's just move on now. Wipe the slate clean. Can we start all over again? As friends?" says Cas in a composed voice, holding out a hand to him.

Eames looks at her outwardly calm expression but he can see the tremors beneath. Her hand is still outstretched.

"I'm not sure it works quite that way, Cas," he says slowly, his eyes on hers as he takes her hand. He doesn't allow her to form a handshake, just draws her hand down to the table.

"I don't know what else there is to say, Eames. I think I'll skip dessert and go back to my room now," she says, taking her hand away and starting to rise from her chair.

A waiter hurries over to pull her chair out for her and she stands, gesturing for the bill.

Having seen her gesture, another waiter turns up with the slip of paper which Eames politely but firmly intercepts before she can put down her room number.

He hears a crisp and courteous, "Thank you, and oh, Eames, I think Arthur mentioned talking to Ariadne tonight. Just bear that in mind, if you're heading back to your flat," Her tone is light and careless. She glides away without a backward glance.

Eames finishes paying for the meal and walks out of the restaurant. He rides up in the elevator to the level Cas is on. She is still standing in front of her door rummaging around in her small purse.

"Looking for this, my love?" says Eames, holding up her card key.

"Bastard," she hisses, quickly taking it from him and sliding the key in.

She is not quick enough to hide the fact that her face is wet with tears. Swiftly he wraps her into a strong embrace and then they are both in her room. He slams the door shut and holds on to her firmly saying, "Cas, my love, I can't and I don't want to get over you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"You're going to do what?" yells Eames incredulously, getting up from his chair and starting to pace restlessly.

His stare does not leave the two crazy people who have just told him exactly how they are going to accomplish the first part of their plan to rescue Mal.

"You cannot just walk in and demand that they give her to you! Darlings, you're crazy! Bloody hell! Arthur? How on earth to you think this is going to work? They're just going to give her to you out of the kindness of their hearts? Arthur, it's your job to have a better plan that that!" says Eames scathingly.

"It's the only way, Eames," replies Cas calmly, even though Eames appears to be directing his tirade at the point man.

"You've planned it already," says Ariadne, looking at both with wide eyes.

"Yes," answers Arthur shortly.

"I'm guessing you planned this, Arthur? You really have no imagination whatsoever," sneers Eames.

"Stop it, Eames. We've discussed it and I agree with Arthur fully. We don't have the resources to do it any other way; it would just get too complicated. We have to get Mal and then we'll still need to care for her till she wakes up. We can't do it subversively. It has to all be above board," explains Cas.

"Love, do you really think that they'll just let you have her? Just by admitting that they have her, they'll have committed a crime already. However much leverage we have on them, they're a huge multi-national corporation! We don't stand a chance," argues Eames.

Arthur and Cas shared a look.

"That's why we've put various safeguards in place," says Arthur.

"I own a legal firm, you know," he continues.

There is an interruption by phone ringing and Cas jumps out of her chair at the tone. She quickly takes out her mobile and speaks into it, checking her watch anxiously.

"Hi? Sweetheart? Pippa honey, what's wrong? Has anything happened? Sweetheart, why are you calling me at this time," says Cas worriedly, a hand clutched at her heart.

Everyone else immediately focuses on her conversation.

"Oh, you've had a nightmare huh? Oh, honey, that's okay. No, no it's fine that you called me. As long as you're sure nothing bad has happened to anyone? Okay, sweetheart, just tell Aunt Cas all about it," says Cas soothingly, she mouths that everything is fine while continuing to attend to her niece. She hurries away into a corner to comfort Phillippa.

Arthur and Eames relax their tense postures. Ariadne notes this with faint surprise. Somehow she didn't think that they'd be so concerned for Dom's children and yet in a way it made perfect sense.

"I'm their godfather," says Arthur quietly, facing Ariadne.

"She'd kill for those kids," says Eames of Cas, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"They actually adore you when they do see you," says Arthur drily.

"Yeah, well look at how life screwed them over. I'm going for a drink," says Eames, leaving the warehouse abruptly.

"Why is he so angry?" asks Ariadne, slightly puzzled.

Arthur glances around to see that Cas is still in the middle of her ministrations to Phillippa on the phone and draws Ariadne close with an arm around her waist.

"They started dating right after James was born. And then they broke up. No one knew why. But I had to go into his dreams once, Ari," Arthur pauses and gazes into her eyes. Ariadne feels a bit like swooning at the intensity and the heat of his touch.

"He dreamed of Cas and their children playing with their cousins," he says softly into her ear.

Ariadne's eyes widen again.

"Eames, the renowned playboy, dreams of having a wife and kids?" she says in surprise.

"In his dream they had three children and she was obviously pregnant again," says Arthur with a sad smile.

There is the sound of someone conspicuously clearing their throat and they both look up to see that Cas has ended her conversation and returned to the middle of the warehouse. She has a slight blush on her face and looks like she really regrets doing it.

Ariadne is pleasantly surprised when Arthur simply looks up and casually draws her to his side, his arm not leaving her. She allows herself to place her hand on his back, her heart singing.

"How is she?" inquires Arthur.

"Hopefully she'll sleep through now. I need to get back to them though. I haven't been away from them for so long since," Cas stopped unable to continue her sentence.

"Anyway, you should come up too. Both of you. Pippa and James would love to see you and I'm sure they'll love you to, Ariadne," says Cas.

"What about Eames?" Ariadne is sorry the moment the words cross her lips but she can't take the question back.

Cas' smile falters but she keeps it there.

"Eames can and will do what he wants," states Cas.

"Cas," starts Arthur.

He looks at her, "Did you settle things between you?" he asks.

Cas looks at him miserably.

"I don't think a night is going to do much, Arthur," she answers shortly.

"What happened?" asks Ariadne, unable to stop herself.

"Well, it started out fairly badly and sort of just ended abruptly. We didn't talk much," she blushes at the knowing looks.

"No! Not that. Not that it's any of your business. We just held each other and fell asleep. It was peaceful for some reason. Anyway, clearly, you two had a more productive night," says Cas, turning the tables.

Now it's Ariadne's turn to blush. Arthur has a perfectly composed expression without a hint of embarrassment.

"I'm really happy for you. Just be careful, okay? Love isn't easy in this type of life," says Cas.

They talk more about the plans, and then Cas leaves. Eames had returned but didn't acknowledge her leaving. Cas leaves with a lingering glance at the forger.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"So are we going to see Phillippa and James?" asks Ariadne.

She is comfortably snuggled up on top of Arthur on the couch. They have just had a delicious meal, prepared to perfection by Arthur and had decided to listen to some music after dinner.

It is getting harder to think and speak coherently as Arthur is softly caressing her back and dropping light kisses on her head.

"We could do that," he answers lazily. He is using his fingers to trace patterns all along her body, up and down her arms. Ariadne enjoys the sensations he is creating within her and is eagerly anticipating more. She decides to be patient and let Arthur proceed. He is clearly more experienced than her and last night was incredible. She has only ever slept with one boy before and Arthur is clearly also exceptional in bed.

"Mmmm," she lets out a satisfied purr, her body relaxing and pressing into him deliciously.

"We can talk about it tomorrow," she sighs into his touches.

Arthur agrees silently as he lifts her face to his and captures her lips in a slowly burning kiss. She opens her mouth and his tongue sweeps in. The kiss grows steadily hotter and she grabs the back of his head and crushes her body to his.

Her senses are filled with him and she is heady with delight. It is not long before their hands start exploring even more, still kissing passionately.

"The bed," he gasps as she decides to grind herself against him.

"It's warmer," he pants.

Ariadne is beyond caring. She desperately works to get his clothing off and he is just as busy with hers. They do not make it to the bed for a while.

*x*x*x*x*x*x

"Have you finished having a sulk then? Love?" says Cas, adding the last word jeeringly, as the door to her hotel room opens.

Eames frowned. "You should put the chain lock on the door," he says, slipping it in place.

"You're just predictable enough," says Cas.

"And so you can read minds now, lovey? What if it wasn't me behind the door? What would have happened then? Is it dear Arthur who gets to tell Pippa and little James that Auntie Cas is gone too?" fires back Eames.

He has gone too far with the last comment and Eames knows it even as the words leave his mouth. They leave a bitter aftertaste that is almost tangible. This is not why he came here. He needs to reassert control over himself. It is far too easy to get into an argument and just let their emotions take over. That was what went wrong the last time. He just acted out on his feelings. Not a wise option in hindsight.

His smile is grim as he watches Cas toss her head for an instant. She's getting better at hiding her true feelings. A toss of the head is a good trick to distract others and blink tears away quickly. Hide and deceive. She's changed from when he first got to know her. Back then she was so much more honest and wore her heart on her sleeve. Now she could appear to be as immaculately composed as Arthur.

Eames couldn't really blame her because he knew that he had been a huge factor behind her change in character. A multitude of regrets. That's also probably why he's still in this one. No matter how callous he appears to be on the outside, he does have a conscience when it comes to some things or some people as is the case. And somehow he feels the need to make it up to her. That by doing this he could in a way atone for the way he treated her.

Cas has decided that she needs more time to compose herself. She waits a moment with a blank expression on her face. She is still facing him directly but not quite meeting his eyes. She doesn't say anything and gets up to pour herself a glass of water. The silence is deafening.

Eames decides to try his hand at honesty. It's the only thing he hasn't tried in a very long time. He's not sure if he can keep it up but he doesn't have anything to lose anymore. He can't deny that he still loves her. She's the only woman who has ever truly mattered in his life.

Holding her last night had been amazingly wonderful and yet achingly painful. She had sobbed for a while and then suddenly she had stopped. He had still felt the tension in her shoulders when she forced herself to stop crying. She used to cry until she had no more tears left. He knew because he had held her through some of those times, years ago. Somehow he knew that she refused to cry anymore because he was there.

They had ended up fully dressed and lying on the bed, she had been holding onto him tightly as she sobbed into his chest. Cas had slumped against him and Eames had carefully guided and half carried her to the bed. He had misjudged the height of the bed and lost his balance when he tried to set them on the edge of the bed. He had been fully concentrating on the woman in his arms and trying to get her more comfortable.

He knew that he should have been a gentleman and gotten up and left when she stopped crying. But what he had done was to loosen his shirt and his belt and kick off his shoes and hold onto her. Cas had turned her back on him but he wouldn't let her leave the bed. She gave up after a while and heaved a sigh.

Wordlessly he had unzipped her dress and she had kicked off her shoes. He could feel the exhaustion in her body. She pulled off her jewellery and tossed them on a side table.

"When did you last sleep through the night, Cas?" had been the softly spoken question, as he started feeling her body relax against him.

"When did you?" was the quiet rejoinder. There had been no more words after that. They had both slept through the night in each other's arms.

Eames now spoke his words carefully as the events of the night before flashed through his mind. "The truth is that before last night, the last time I slept through the night was the last night I spent with you, Cassandra Eames."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Wow, that's a reaaallyy, reaaaally cool castle!" said James enthusiastically; looking at the drawing Ariadne had done for him. He snatched the book out of Ariadne's hands excitedly.

"James, please don't just grab something away like that and what do you say to Ariadne?" chastised Cas, having looked up when James raved over the drawing.

"Oh, umm thank you, uhh Ari..., Ariad...," said the little boy, obviously struggling to pronounce Ariadne's name.

"Just call me Ari, okay? That's easier. And you're welcome, James," smiled Ariadne sweetly.

James smiled back at her.

"Do you think Mommy and Daddy are living in a castle like that up in heaven?" asked James suddenly.

"Daddy could draw good like you too. He used to draw us castles with soldiers and bridges and dragons and lots of other things," sighed James looking at the drawing again.

Ariadne didn't know what to say. Of course, Dom had been an architect too. He had probably drawn many pictures for his children. No doubt he had been extremely creative and elaborate castles would have been something he would have illustrated for his children.

"Why don't you go and show the picture to Arthur?" suggested Cas gently, sensing that Ariadne was unsure about how to respond.

"Okay," said James simply and trotted off to where Arthur was reading a newspaper, clutching the drawing with both hands.

Both women watched him walk away.

"He loves drawing," says Cas softly, with a voice choked with emotion.

Ariadne can see the love in her eyes for her nephew.

"But he doesn't draw as much now since Dom left. Pippa used to love singing, Mal did too. They'd sing and then Dom and James would dance with them. Oh, I hope they remember those wonderful times," continues Cas wistfully.

"I'm sure they will somehow. And no matter what happens, they are both very lucky to have you," said Ariadne.

Cas looked at her, slightly surprised. She smiled a small smile.

"Thank you," she said simply.

Ariadne just nodded.

*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*

"Yusuf has agreed to help us on this one. But only with the chemicals. He's flatly refusing to even think about helping within the dreamscape," said Eames.

Arthur shrugged, "I suspected as much. That's fine. He is the best in the business." He took a drink from the crystal tumbler in his hand.

"So do you want to actually tell me what's going on with you and Cas? I'm sorry to have to ask but I really would like to ensure that neither of your subconscious appear with unpredictable projections while we're doing this. I have had extremely unpleasant experiences with such projections," declared Arthur.

Eames looked away. Arthur stood and waited patiently.

"What did Cas say?" deflected Eames.

Arthur sighed but answered, "So far she's been doing a very good job of avoiding me so I haven't been able to ask her but rest assured, I will. Even if I have to get the kids to lure her or maybe Ariadne."

"The point man and the architect," stated Eames smugly, again evading the question.

However, Arthur was nothing if not persistent.

"I still need an answer. And the whole truth please. I have very little desire to be tortured by a projection for no obvious reason if I can help it," said Arthur drily.

"Why Arthur, and here I thought it was because you cared," said Eames in a mock hurt tone.

Arthur looked at him with calm eyes.

"And when we get to Dom, you can be the one to enlighten him about the fact that you've been related by marriage for a while now," said Arthur nonchalantly.

Eames choked on his drink. He had to cough hard several times before regaining his breath.

"You did that on purpose, you bastard!" cursed Eames.

"Talk," said Arthur curtly.

"I'm not sure, what's happening," said Eames, pacing.

"And how did you find out?" said Eames with a glare.

"I've known since about a few days after you were married. Let's just say that I keep a close tab on the people who are important in my life," said Arthur.

"I'm touched," said Eames sarcastically.

"Don't be. You have no idea how close you came to being on my hit list when you broke Cas' heart," said Arthur coldly.

"I see. Well, for your information I didn't actually sleep with Jessie. It was close but I didn't actually cheat on Cas. At least not when we were still together," admitted Eames.

Arthur kept silent.

Eames sighed.

"I loved her. Still love her, I'm pretty sure that she's the only woman I'll ever be in love with and I blew it because I got scared. I'd never been happier in my entire life when she married me. I was ecstatic but I was also blinking terrified that I was going to lose her. We did it secretly because I wanted it done quickly and so that no one could object," explained Eames.

Arthur waited patiently.

"Then we got the news about Mal and everything went crazy. I was doing a job and she left to be with the kids. The job turned sour and I barely escaped with my life. I needed to lie low and I didn't manage to get a message to her before I moved. I had been hurt and it took some time for me to recover. And then I found out that she hadn't even tried to find me. For all she knew, I could've been dead and she didn't even care enough to try to find out," said Eames reliving bitter memories.

He caught sight of Arthur's raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I know. I was still stupid. I should've just talked to her and tried to find out what happened. But the next thing that happened was Jessie blatantly throwing herself at me. And of course Cas found out about that. The rest you know," finished Eames hurriedly.

After a moment of silence, Arthur spoke. "I do know the rest. She did try to find you, she was frantic but I refused to let her do anything about it. I made her stay with the children who needed her and I used my contacts to search for you. Probably not anyone familiar to you and those contacts were probably not up to my usual standard but there was no one else. They took more time than usual and you wouldn't have known to look for them.

As for Jessie, that was easy. Jessie told Cas herself. If you had still been close to death I would have made sure that you didn't survive. You're much harder to kill when you're on the go. There is a reason that you're considered one of the best.

And later after she left you, Cas told me that whatever happened between you two was none of my business. If I caused your death because of her, she would never forgive me. So I stopped hunting you."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Are you sure you want to do this with me? We have no idea how this could go. We'd be in a public building but we'll be in an office when we actually speak to them. This could go wrong in a lot of ways. We can't bring any kind of arms and I'm not sure I can protect you. This will be real so if anything happens then," Arthur stopped because Ariadne had placed her finger against his lips to silence him.

"Yes, I'll go with you. Yes I know that you're worried it could go wrong but we've prepared for this for a while. And I'm sure you've done your research on how to do this. I trust you," soothed Ariadne.

Arthur still looked worried and unhappy, frowning and taking her small hands in his.

She cut him off before he could speak, "It will be okay. You've run yourself ragged trying to cover every single point of this. We have to do it soon or there won't be anything left of you or Cas. You're both exhausted and stressed out beyond reason. After this we're all going to need a long vacation."

Arthur sucked in a breath slowly, wondering how he had managed to be so fortunate as to have met her. He focused on looking into her soft brown eyes, as they touched their foreheads together.

"I can't believe you're still here with me," he whispered reverently. One arm wrapped around her waist and the other snaked into his pocket to reach for his die.

"Oh Arthur," she breathed sadly, hating the fact that he still felt the need to ensure that this was reality and that he wasn't dreaming though she thought she understood.

"I don't want you to come with me," he said softly, nuzzling his face into her hair.

"Arthur, we've been through this. I'm the only person who can do it. You can't take Eames, he's a good forger in dreams but he'd be too volatile as himself. And if we can't get Mal back then Pippa and James need Cas. We'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

"I still don't like it. You could be in danger. I can't control everything there," protested Arthur dejectedly.

"You can't protect me from everything, Arthur. You can't put me in cotton and lock me up in a safe, I know what I'm getting into and I'm coming with you. No matter what you say," argued Ariadne patiently.

This was a dialogue that was frequently repeated in various forms as the plans were being finalized to retrieve Mal from the private healthcare facility she was now kept in. It had been decided that Arthur would go in with Ariadne instead of Cas. In the event that anything happened, it wouldn't be fair to Pippa or James for them to lose another member of their family.

Ariadne had brought up the point, supported by Eames. Arthur and Cas herself had initially vetoed the suggestion vigorously. Cas felt that she should be the one to shoulder any risks in the endeavour to rescue her sister. Arthur had been adamant that Ariadne stay out of the public conflict.

However, Ariadne and Eames had pointed out that Arthur and Cas were godparents to the Cobb children and while their grandparents were able to care for them now, they would inevitably grow older. Phillippa and James were still very young and would need parental figures for some years yet. They couldn't risk something happening to both their godparents in one fell swoop. What would happen to Phillippa and James then?

Tensions had been running high when Miles stepped in and reiterated the facts. He acknowledged up front that he had a personal stake in not wanting his other daughter caught up in danger but his arguments were still valid if not entirely objective.

The matter was inadvertently settled when a clap of thunder intervened. There were screams from the children and Cas was the one to whom both children fled when the adults rushed upstairs in response. Possibly too it was because of her strikingly similar looks to her sister, her young niece and nephew automatically sought her out as they would their own mother while still dazed from sleep and shock.

The rest had watched silently and crept away, Miles staying to help settle the children back into bed once more. No one could argue that Phillippa and James needed Cas. They had already lost their parents. How much more trauma could their young lives survive? It wasn't worth the risk.

Arthur gave in with a very bad grace. Cas was simply stricken with guilt. She felt terrible about letting Ariadne do this in her place but it was evident that her niece and nephew needed her in their lives. If this plan didn't work and Arthur didn't come back, then they would not have anyone. She realized that she couldn't risk that. It was a dreadful decision to have to make.

Eames tamped down hard on his feeling of sheer relief when Cas finally admitted Ariadne's point. He took great pains to conceal his thoughts but he didn't dare look at Arthur in case he saw through him. He needn't have worried as Arthur was then fixated on trying to talk Ariadne out of going with him. But Ariadne refused to let him go alone. That wasn't a good plan either anyway. So now matters stood as such.

Ariadne had insisted that they take a half day to not do any work. She couldn't convince Arthur to take more time and couldn't make him leave the house for long. He was fully on guard. He didn't want anyone finding this house and would take no chances that they could be followed to it. He was in full paranoid mode.

She had nearly despaired at trying to get him to relax. But Ariadne had him where she wanted him for now. Even though they were still arguing softly, she could feel Arthur's body mould into hers as she clasped her arms about him.

"I'll be fine. You'll be there for me. Like you always are and you always will be," she declared stroking his back and running a hand up and down his side.

Arthur closed his eyes and even though he wasn't sure that he believed in God anymore, prayed desperately that this would work out.


End file.
